How to Write 淦 (gàn) — Meaning “Gan (name of a river or to sink)”

Imagine a golden (金) river (氵) so valuable that it looks like flowing gold — this helps you recall the Gan River. Alternatively, think "water + gold" equals something heavy that sinks, which links to the secondary meaning of "to sink".

First write the three dots of 氵 on the left. The right part 金 begins with two slanted strokes (like 人), then two horizontal lines, a vertical stroke down the middle, and finally two small dots on each side of the vertical. A common mistake is to write the bottom of 金 as 王, but it actually has two dots under the last horizontal, not two horizontals.

洁 (jié) means clean or pure, with 吉 (good luck) on the right; 洄 (huí) means to swirl or go back, with 回 (return) on the right. 淦 has 金 (gold/metal) on the right, so it refers specifically to a river name or the action of sinking, not cleanliness or swirling. Visually, 金 has more strokes, and the right side is taller and more complex than 吉 or 回.

Traditionally, 淦 appears in place names like the Gan River (淦水) in Jiangxi, China, and in historical texts. In recent internet slang, it is sometimes used as a playful exclamation (like "damn!") because its pronunciation resembles a vulgar word. For learners, however, it is mainly a proper noun and not commonly used in daily conversation.

Common words containing 淦 include: 淦水 (gàn shuǐ) — Gan River; 淦江 (gàn jiāng) — Gan River; 淦田 (gàn tián) — Gantian (a place name).